CHESTERTOWN, Md. – The Haverford College women's basketball team clinched a spot in the Centennial Conference playoffs for the seventh straight season with an 76-48 win over home standing Washington College on Wednesday evening inside the Cain Athletic Center. Haverford improves to 17-3 (13-2 CC) with the win while Washington College falls to 5-14 overall (3-11 CC) in defeat.
Haverford had four scorers in double figures as senior co-captain Sierra Berkel led the way with a game-high 17 points to go with nine rebounds on the night. Berkel registered double-digit scoring for the 12th straight game. Senior co-captain Samantha Wetzel narrowly missed a triple-double adding 10 points to nine rebounds and a career-best eight assists, proving to be a versatile presence in the post.
Sophomore Maddie Gallic also had one of the best performances of her young career with 14 points and a career-best seven rebounds. First year Julianna Clark added a career-high 12 points off the bench. Sophomore Megan Furch had nine points as well as three blocks while Junior Katie Cook also grabbed eight rebounds, a career best.
Haverford moved the ball around the floor all game long, posting the second-most assists in program history with 27 helpers on the night. Nine different Fords tallied an assist as the characteristically stout defense of the Fords was complemented by a dynamic passing display.
The Fords shot a season-best 47.8 percent on the night and the effort was on display in the second as the Fords rebounded from a slow offensive start that saw the visitors with just an 11-8 lead after one quarter of action. Haverford jetted to a 20-4 run that was characterized by crisp passing and timely shooting.
The second quarter run was punctuated by a Gallic three-pointer with 2:32 left in the first half. Clark drained a three on the next Haverford possession, aiding the Fords to a 20 point advantage at 34-14.
A Macy Goldbach jumper with 4:58 left in the third quarter put Haverford up 21, but a 7-2 run for the Shorewomen cut the lead back to 16 with 3:29 left in the stanza. Clark again connected from downtown, giving Haverford a 51-32 advantage with 2:06 to play in the third.
The Fords were in command for the remainder of the night, stretching the lead to as many as 30 in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. Chloe Juriansz matched a career best with four points in reserve action as Haverford finished with 25 total bench points.
The Fords now return home to the Gooding '84 Arena for a showdown with Gettysburg (14-1 CC) on Saturday at 1 p.m. Haverford took a win over the Bullets in Gettysburg when the teams first met in early January.
Prior to the contest, Haverford will honor its senior class, co-captains Sierra Berkel and Samantha Wetzel, for their contributions on and off the court to the Haverford Women's Basketball program and the Haverford community as a whole.